Reel mandrel bushing latch for barbed wire machines



p 1950 E. 1.. AX ETAL 2,521,321

REEL MANDREL BUSHING LATCH FOR BARBED WIRE MACHINES Filed April 8, 1949,2 Sheets-Sheet 1 H111. EH

. u Fuas- Sept 5, 1950 E. L. AX ET AL 2,521,321

REEL MANDREL BUSHING LATCHYFOR BARBED WIRE MACHINES Filed April 8, 19492 Sheets-Sheet 2 all N & x I 1. L 56 [a fir $1 l ii 24m. 5 ML. i

Ll v v I g J6 J/ vi I if 72 i6 12 L 1 imi-E1602":- L EEKK L. Q36 and aPatented Sept. 5, 1950 'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REEL MANDREL BUSHINGLATCH FOR BABBED WIRE MACHINES Erick L. Ax and James A. Jackson,Pittsburgh, Pa.

' Application April 8, 1949, Serial No. 86,237

This invention relates to a latch and more particularly to a latch forholding a wire reel mandrel in the flyer of a barbed wire machine whilebarbed wire is being spooled thereon.

The take-up or spooling mechanism of a barbed wire machine serves twopurposes; it not only winds the barbed wire onto a spool, but it alsoimparts a twist to the two wires making up the barbed wire strand asthey are wound upon the receiving spool. The spooling and twistingmechanism of a conventional barbed wire machine consists essentially ofa rotary flyer frame which houses a revolving reel-carrying unit and atraversing. guide sheave. The reel-carrying unit is made up of a fixedrevolving head mounted by means of a short Shaft projecting therefrom tothe inner side rail of the flyer frame and an axially retractable headremovably mounted on the opposite rail of the flyer frame. A mandrel,for supporting the wire reel upon which the barbedwire is spooled, ismounted between the two heads with its ends resting in slots provided inthe respective heads.

In order to remove a loaded reel of barbed wire from the reel-carryingunit, it is necessary to move theaxially retractable head away from theend of the mandrel thus allowing the mandrel with its loaded reel ofbarbed wire to fall to the floor below the machine;

An object of our invention is to provide alatch which will hold theretractable head of the reelcarrying unit of a rotary flyer framesecurely in position while barbed'wire is being reeled thereon and whichpermits the head to be removed with ease so that the reeled barbed wiremay be pe d l n oa ed- This and other objects will be more apparentafter referring to the following specification and attached drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a plan view showing the invention installed on the rotaryflyer frame of a barbed wire machine;

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail plan view partly in section;

Figure 3 is a front elevational view; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line IV-IV of Fi ure 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, reference numeral, 2indicates a barbed wire machine rotary flyer frame casting, housing arevolving reel-carrying unit 4, and a traversing guide sheave 6. Thefiyer frame 2 is supported at one end by a hollow trunnion (not shown)and at its opposite end by a drive shaft 8. Drive shaft 8 is rigidlyfixed to frame '2 and imparts rotary motion to the frame by a suitablebelt and 5 Claims. (01. 30s 24) pulley drive (not shown). Reel unit 4 ismade to revolve within frame 2 by means of a bevel gear I0, fixed to afixedly mounted revolving reel head l2, which meshes with bevel gear I4fixed to a drive shaft l6. Shaft I6 is driven through suitable gearingby shaft 8. The reel carrying unit 4 is made up of the fixed revolvinghead i2, an axially retractable head if! and a removable mandrel 20which supports the wire reel upon which the. barbed wire is spooled.

A latch plate 22 is pivotallymounted 0n the outer rail surface of theflyer casting 2. Retractable reel head l8 has rigidly aflixed thereto ashaft portion 24 which is rotatively supported within flyer casting 2 bymeans of a bushing 26. Bushing 26 has a sliding fit within flyer casting2. A shoulder segment 58 is formed by providing the outer end of bushing26 with a reduced diameter portion 28. Reduced portion 28 projectsbeyond the flyer frame rail when the retractable reel head I8 is innormal closed position. A pullout handle 30 is provided on the outerextremity of bushing 26. A circumferential groove 32 is provided inbushing 26 at a point approximately midway between its ends. Bushing 26is held in position on shaft 24 by means of a washer 34 and a cap screw36. Latch plate 22 is pivotally secured to flyer casting 2 by means of acap screw 38. Latch plate 22 is drilled out at point 40 to receive alock bolt 42 and a compression spring 44 which fits over the smallerdiameter portion 46 of bolt 42. Lock bolt 42 is threaded as at 48 on oneend to enable the afiixing thereto of a handle 50 after bolt 42 andcompression spring 44 havebeen inserted within'hole 40.- Although wehave :shown bolt 42 as being contained within latch plate 22 in hole 40,it will be noted that the bolt may be mounted on the surface of thelatch plate if desired. The latch '22 is slotted out at points 52 and 54for the reception of the reduced end portion 28 of bushing 25 withinslot 52 and a projection, which we have shown as a cap screw 56, withinslot 54 when head [8 is in the closed position as indicated by the solidlines in Figures 1 and 2. The cap screw 56 serves as a locking postinasmuch as lock bolt 42 holds the latch 22 in the closed position whenreleased and allowed to slip into position behind cap screw 5'6 andacross slot 54. When the latch plate 22 is in locked position slot 52receives the reduced outer end of bushing 26 thus allowing the innersurface of the latch plate to bear against shoulder segment 28 to holdbushing 26 in closed position position.

In operation, to move reel head l8 to the open position, as shown indotted lines in Figures 2 and 4, it is only necessary to move lockingbolt 42 to the left by means ofhandle 5B and thus allow the pivotallymounted latch plate 22 to swing downwardly about the cap screw 38. Theremoval of latch plate 22 frees bushing 26 so that the operator can thenwithdraw it outwardly by means of handle 30: and thus withdraw head 18from the mandrel 20 carrying the loaded barbed wire reel. When the latchplate 22 is swung to the open or downwardly projecting position, andbushing 26 is withdrawn to open position by means of handle 38, an armsegment 60, which is an integral part of the pivoted end of latch plate22, will drop intothe peripheral groove 32 of bushing 26 to lock itinopen position and thus hold reel head I8 in the open or retractedposition until an empty mandrel and wire reel are positioned between thereel heads.

After the mandrel and empty reel. have been positioned within the. flyerframe, reel head 18 is locked in the closed: position by moving latchplate 22 upwardly or clockwise about cap screw 38., by means of a handle82.. This movement i frees bushing 28 from the locking arm segment W.and allows it to slide into. closed position and thereby slide reel headit into. closed operating position. Thus, when spring ioaded lock bolt42 snaps into position behind cap. screw 5'5, the

inner surface of latch plate 22', hearing against theshoulder segment:58. of bushing 26', will pos itively hold reelhead 18 in the closedposition.

While one embodiment of our invention has been shown and described, itwill be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be madewithout departing from the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. Mechanism for locking the reel-supporting bushing reciprocabl'e ahole throughthe side rail of a rotary flyer frame, said mechanismcomprising a projection on the outer surface of said fiyer frame railadjacent said bushing, a reduced outer end on said bush-ing projectingbeyond the frame forming a shoulder, an elongated latch platepivo'tallymounted on the outer surface of said flyer frame rail adjacent thebushing, said latch plate being adapted to be swung into closedpositionspanning said hol to hold said bushing therein, said. latchplate having a slot adapted to receive said reduced endwhen said latchplate is in closed position, and man-- uallyoperable locking carried bysaid latch plate, said locking means being adapted to cooperate withsaid projection to locklsaid latch plate in closed position. a

,2. The improvement. as defined lay claim 1 characterized. by said latchplate having a sec-- ond slot adapted to. receive said projection.

3. The improvement as defined by claim 1 characterized by said lockingmeans comprising a spring loaded bolt slidingly mounted on said latchplate, said spring loaded bolt being adapted to engage said projectionwhen the latch plate is in closed position, and a handle carried by saidbolt for retracting the same.

4. The improvement as defined in claim 1 characterized by said bushinghaving a circumferential groove around the surface thereof intermediateits ends, a handle projecting from said bushing for moving the sameinwardly and outwardly from, said hole, and said latch plate having alocking arm projecting upwardly from the pivoted end thereof, saidlocking arm cooperating with the circumferential groove in said bushingto lock the bushing in open position when the latch plate is swung intoopen position.

5. Mechanism for locking the reel-supporting bushingreciprocable'in ahole through the side rail of a rotary fiyer frame, said mechanism com-.

prising a projection onv the outer surface of said flyer frame railadjacent said bushing, a, re,-v duced. outer end on said bashingprojecting beyond the fiyer frame forming a shoulder, said bushinghaving a circumferential groove around the surface thereof intermediateits ends, a ham dle projecting upwardly from said bushing for movingthe, same inwardly and outwardly. from said. hole, an elongated latchplate pivotally mounted on the outer surface of saidfiyer frame railadjacent the bushing, said latch plate being adapted to engage saidprojection when rthe latch.

plate is in closed position, a handle carried. by

said bolt for retracting the same, and a locking armprojecting upwardlyfrom the pivoted end of. said latch plate, said locking arm cooperatingwith the circumferential groove in, said bushing to lock the bushing inopen position when the latch plate is swung intocpeh position.

EB'lCK L. AX. JAMES.v A. JACKSON.

sweetn ss Q TED The following references are-bfirec'ord in the file ofthis patent:

FOREIGN PATENTS Country Number Da France Nov. 23; 1935'

